UPDATE [Saturday, 4:39 p.m.] - It's been discovered that the back injury Romo suffered against the Seahawks is much worse than first anticipated. The Cowboys QB broke a bone in his back and is expected to miss 6-10 weeks, meaning his return could come in Week 8 against the Eagles.
FROM EARLIER
Ever since Tony Romo became the starter for the Dallas Cowboys in 2006, he has missed 27 games, a high number, but certainly not on the same level as the Philadelphia Eagles' Sam Bradford, for example. Still, Romo is thought of as an injury risk, which is not at all unfounded.
In 2013, Romo was lost for the season prior to the Cowboys' Week 17 showdown with the Eagles for the NFC East crown. While he only missed one game, Romo's absence would have continued through the entirety of the playoffs had they beaten the Eagles and continued to advance. Romo had undergone back surgery earlier that offseason, and then again after he was ruled out for the season. In 2014, he re-injured his back against the Washington Redskins, and missed a game the next week against the Arizona Cardinals.
In 2015, Romo missed 12 games as a result of a twice-fractured collarbone.
Last night during the Cowboys' first drive of a preseason game in Seattle against the Seahawks, Romo landed awkwardly while attempting to slide on a quarterback scramble. He was simultaneously being tackled by Seahawks DE Cliff Avril, whose weight was on Romo's back as he went to the ground. Here's the play:
You can see after the play that Romo was in obvious pain, as he reached for his back on what was far from a vicious hit by Avril. According to a sideline report during the telecast, Romo asked to go back into the game, but was held out by head coach Jason Garrett.
Romo said it was as hard of a hit as he's taken to his back in five years, via the Cowboys' website.
“In a weird way I feel good about the fact that – that was probably as tough a hit I took on the back as I have in the last five years,” Romo said. “From that regard, I feel very lucky that it can hold up and you can keep going.”
Romo described the play as a “perfect storm” of undesirable circumstances. He stepped up in the pocket to avoid a furious Seahawks pass rush, only to be pulled down from behind by Cliff Avril – who also landed on top of him.
“At the moment when you go down – you crunch. And so your back gets squished,” he said. “You kind of feel the, almost like a sensation of if someone gave you a stinger in your shoulder or something – where it just feels hot for a second and then that just dissipates after a minute.”
Romo turned 36 in April, and is the third oldest starting quarterback in the NFL behind Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
He is expected to play Week 1 against the New York Giants, but this is a reminder that Romo is very much indeed a significant injury risk.
In other Cowboys news, TMZ has video of Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott visiting a Seattle marijuana dispensary called "Herban Legends." Recreational pot is legal in Seattle, but obviously, it is not in the NFL. The video does not show Elliott making any purchases.
In the game, Elliott rushed seven times for 48 yards, and looked very good.